A Bookman Never Forgets
by Eri Reed
Summary: When Lavi is reunited with an old friend - dethroned Princess Elizabeth - he is forced by his Bookman duties to act as if he never knew her. But when Elizabeth is to be married, can he refrain himself from stealing away his long forgotten friend?
1. One, Childhood Innocence

Outside, the sky was a brilliant blue. I couldn't focus on my lessons at all. Look at all that sky! And – oh! – the clouds. I imagined taking a nap on them. That would be nice, wouldn't it? I could be Elizabeth: Queen of the Sky. I would be a kind queen, who granted the wishes of all her subjects. No one would be sad under my reign, and there would be no more rainy days to ruin our fun. Why, I'd soar through the skies on elegant white wings, like a dove. I would spread peace throughout the kingdom, a—

"_Elizabeth,"_ hissed my brother, nudging my arm with his elbow.

I blinked rapidly. His touch brought me back to reality in an instant. I had almost forgotten we were still in class. Well, if you could call sitting in our father's study, writing assignments on French a "class." Our tutor sat at her desk, writing whatever down. I had stopped doing my work to daydream, it seems. It was a good thing my twin brother, Peter, reminded me of the time being. Mrs. Weatherburg didn't like slackers. I was in certain danger of getting hit with her ruler of doom.

Though my father was the king of the land, he made sure that my brother and I got our education. He wanted us to be treated like normal children. That was a bit hard, though, considering normal ten-year-olds don't learn a second language. As a child, I had plenty of time on my hands; as royalty, I got private lessons. Father would have much rather sent us to a public school, but Mother believed that it would cause problems. She said that other children would pretend to be our friends; that teachers would naturally give us special treatment, thus other children would resent us. We were much safer in the comfort of our castle.

But that wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to be free. And when I told my father that, he happily obliged. I was given a common dress much like the girls I saw wearing when we went to town. Father showed me a secret path he used as a child that lead to the vast meadow behind our castle. Since then, that place had become my getaway. When school was over and no one was looking for me, I snuck off to be alone, to daydream.

Sometimes I would find the time to bring my brother with me. But that was in the past. Since we turned ten, Brother had been kept busy almost all day, every day. It got lonely out there in my field. My imaginary friends and stuffed animals kept me the most company. Still, they weren't a great substitute for human affection.

That day, after French lessons were over, I hurried to my room and changed into a simple brown dress. My pink bunny lie on my bed, and I grabbed him. Then I hurried out the hidden place in the wall. Such a beautiful day could not be wasted. Before I went to the room, I took one last look at my brother as he trudged down the hall to his swordplay lessons. It made me feel awful. While I played all day, my brother was doing all the work: swordplay, archery, etiquette. Peter barely had enough time to be a kid. With a sigh, I went to the person-free garden and pushed the compartment in the wall.

I crawled through the tight space and ended up on the other side of the castle wall. I lifted the ends of the dress and ran out to the hill, the highest point of the valley. There, I could see most of the village. It was a steep hill, but I could make it if I hurried. The hill was the place where I had tea parties and watched the clouds. That day was perfect to play tag with Peter, but I would have to settle for cloud-watching with Floppy.

However, that day was a day for destiny. When I made it to the top of the hill, I wasn't alone. To my surprise, a boy laid on the grass in my spot! _My_ spot! He had scarlet hair, wore odd, warm clothes and an eye patch over his right eye. The other eye was as green as an emerald. "Hey, what are you doing here?" I demanded.

Noticing me for the first time, he sat up and blinked. His one eye gave me a suspicious once-over, and then he frowned a bit. "Lying here…?" he said like Duh!

I crossed my arms over my chest. "You can't be here," I said. "This is my spot. How did you even get here?" I looked around the area. "The way into the village is around that wall."

He never smiled at all, that boy. "I know; my grandpa went there to get to the entrance of the castle. I was told to stay here and that's what I'm going to do."

I smirked a bit, deciding to tease him some. Did he not realize whom he was speaking to? "He'll never get passed the guards. You two are travelling beggars, aren't you? The queen won't allow the king to give up a cent."

"I don't think you understand, kid," he replied bitterly, squinting angrily. "We're not _beggars:_ we're Bookmen."

The word was so new to me. Of all the things I had learned in ten years, the term "Bookman" almost sounded foreign. When I thought of Book-man, I thought of a superhero who saves the world with literature. "Well, what's a Bookman then?" I asked, growing unreasonably upset.

Feeling a bit superior now that he knew something I didn't, it was his turn to smirk. "We record history," he explained. "We travel from place to place with new identities with the sole purpose of jotting down the events of history; we have perfect memories and skills unknown to others. The most fun is that I know so much more than everyone."

"An arrogant historian, huh?" I countered.

He let out a small chortle. "You could say that," he said quietly, which made me giggle a bit. The wind picked up and whipped his white scarf to the side. It silent for a few moments: my brown eyes meeting his one green eye. After a moment of debating it, I finally asked what his name was. The boy wet his lips with a distant look in his eye. "Zane," he finally said.

I offered my hand. "My name is Elizabeth." Zane looked at my hand as if it were poison oak. I expected a "Bookman" to at least know what a handshake was. Instead of taking my outstretched hand, he raised his eyebrow. "Or not…" I said, pretending like I was okay with that. "Do you want to watch the clouds with me, Zane?"

He shrugged and lay back down on his back. "Why not? I've got nothing better to do until Gramps arrives." I took my place beside Zane on the grass. To my confusion, he actually scooted away from me. I frowned at him, sitting up on my forearms.

"Aren't you a little old to be afraid of cooties?" I almost snapped.

"It's not cooties," he snapped back, shooting upright. "It's just…"

"What?" I prodded.

"It's just – I-I'm not comfortable around people."

_Anti-social, _arrogant historian? Sighing deeply, I made a decision to show him that he didn't need to be uncomfortable around me. Reaching forward before he could flinch away, I grabbed Zane's hand and locked pinkies with him. He blinked, blushing a bit, and glared at me. "What's the big idea?" he mumbled.

"Look, see? It doesn't burn or anything." I smiled. "You don't have to be all weird around me. Alright?"

Zane's careful eye stared at our entwined fingers for a long while.

"I pinky swear," I urged jokingly.

The comment brought his eye up to meet mine. In that moment, our eyes locked together. It would be impossible for me to forget him now.

Interrupting the moment, an old man came on to the scene. He was short, wore a beanie and warm clothing like Zane. He had dark circles around his eyes. Whether it was make-up or not, I couldn't tell.

"Zane!" he snapped, and immediately, Zane pulled away from me and stood on his feet. Confused, I also stood. The old man stopped in front of us and studied me. "Who are you, young lady?"

Not expecting the question, I baffled like an idiot until I uttered out my name. He started to seem creepy as he looked at me head-to-toe, and I began wondering if I should call my father. But just as I was about to, he grunted and took out a cigarette. "Zane. Let's go," he said sternly. Very obediently, Zane followed after the retreating man, heading to the town again. "You should get back to town as well, girl," the old man called back. "Your parents must be worried sick."

I pursed my lips, folding my arms across my chest stubbornly. I was waiting for Zane to turn and wave goodbye or something, but he never did. He walked away from me without even a single glance back. And truthfully, it kind of hurt. Snatching up Floppy from the grass, I stormed back to the castle. Thankfully no one was on the other side of the hidden stone, but even if they were, I wouldn't care. I was upset.

I wanted nothing more than to go after that good for nothing Zane and throw my stuffed animal at him. Instead, I went to my room and changed into my dress. The only thing at that moment that would make me feel better was playing with my brother. When I came out of my room, I found the nearest servant and asked him if he knew where Peter was.

"The last I saw him, he was headed to the throne room, mistress," replied the servant. I thanked him and hurried on my way to the throne room. Odd. Why would he be there? We only went to the throne room when someone was being knighted or when there were visitors. Brother and I were strictly prohibited from going to trials.

_Perhaps there's a knighting that Father didn't tell me about?_ I wondered. I soon found out that it wasn't a knighting at all. Once I made out the shape of my older brother peeking through a crack in the throne-room doors, I hurried down the hall. The guards on either side of the door didn't stop us from peering inside.

I nudged Peter. "What's going on?" I whispered.

His expression was stern and furious. His fists were clenched so tightly, his knuckles were white. "It's about the king from the neighboring country," he said tightly. "He's been poisoned. And now the prince is declaring war."

My heart skipped a beat. We were just in that country last month, touring and having a fun time. The king was extremely nice and now he was dead. When we were there, I remembered that his son, Prince Nicolai, was trying to pick a fight with Brother. I remember Brother slugged him and shouted, "Don't ever talk about my sister like that again!"

Peter was tall for his age – we both were – and he was stronger than most. Nicolai was over ten years older than us, but he was meek and childish. He hated our country for some reason. I know he thought my dad was a "fake" and he thought his own father was a push-over. But…could Nicolai really have killed his own father just to take the throne?

Why would he want to declare war? Our lands were at peace, unlike the rest of the world. Why would he want to break that?

With tears cornering my eyes, I burst into the room, surprising everyone. "Father!" I cried. "Why? Why would Nicolai do that?" My tears unwillingly spilled over. Images flashed around in my head of war…of bloodshed…of death. War was pointless. Neither of us was well-equipped. There was no telling who would win and who would die.

"Elizabeth…" my mother stood, brow furrowed. My father, on the other hand, was as pale as a ghost. He slouched in his throne, holding his head. War was one thing he was not expecting. We had no allies. We planned to be neutral in case of any war. But a direct attack…He should have seen this coming.

I ran to my mother's arms and buried my face in her stomach. Just then, I felt someone watching me. Barely opening my eyes, I found it was…Zane! He was standing in the corner with his grandfather, watching everything that was going on.

… … …

Later that night, I couldn't sleep. I sat on my window sill, staring out at the moon and the ominous black clouds scattered across the night sky. You could almost hear the march of the soldiers already. All throughout the country, men were being drafted into the military. Father hated to do it, but he needed soldiers.

I always hated the thought of war. It was pointless. Only children fought. But this was self-defense. Father didn't have a choice. I wondered what would become of our tiny country. Would we win? Would we be taken over? Perhaps Prince…err…_King_ Nicolai would enslave all of us. The women here would have no rights. We would be sold.

I shut my eyes tightly and hugged Floppy close, trying to forget the history I read in my text books. Suddenly, the door opened quietly. I spun around, thinking it was Nicolai here to kill me…but instead it was Zane. "You," I said sharply, "what are you doing in my room? You have no permission to be here."

"You could have told me you were the princess, you know," he said, blatantly ignoring me. He made his way over to my bed, scanning everything in the room. "If I would have known, maybe I would have been more respectful when I met you earlier."

I pursed my lips; I wasn't in the mood to talk to him. Turning back to the window, I addressed him stubbornly, "Well, that was the point. You weren't _supposed_ to know that I was the princess because I didn't _want_ you to know."

Zane went quiet. He sat on the sill beside me. In the moonlight, his left eye sparkled. The other half of his face was darkened by shadow. "What are you thinking about this late at night?" he asked out of the blue.

I blinked. "What?"

"Well, I'm just saying, it's awfully late for a princess like you to still be awake. Don't you guys normally turn into swans at night?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Get your stories straight," I said softly. "She turned into a swan in the daytime."

Zane closed his eyes and barely smiled. "Right."

For the next ten minutes, we stayed quiet. Who knows what he was thinking about. But I had to ask him something: "Zane…Do you think we'll win the war?"

He frowned and studied me. "What kind of question is that?" he asked eventually. "I can't say for sure because I can't be biased. The war can go either way."

Tears threatened my brown eyes. "If…if we win," I said shakily, looking down at Floppy, "will you still be here?"

He hesitated. "Maybe…" He wouldn't even look at me.

"Well…Will-will you always be my friend?" I whispered as a tear leaked from my eye.

His eye widened, and then slowly shifted to look at me. "Friend…?" he asked incredulously. I nodded. He gulped. "I…"

I frowned. Did he not know how to react? Did he not think we were friends? After a moment of thought, I held out my hand to him, pinky extended. Maybe he wasn't so good with questions. "Promise me – that you'll always be my friend," I whispered, trying to be strong. "Even if we don't win the war, and I'm not the princess anymore…promise me you won't leave me because I'm not royalty."

I dare not mention if he would still think of me if I died.

To my surprise, Zane's pinky was soon locked around mine. He looked me dead in the eye and said, "I swear."


	2. Two, A Familiar Face

The overthrow of my father didn't happen until two months after the war began.

The attack came so sudden. They attacked the castle directly. There was no way to avoid it. Our soldiers came as soon as they could; our guards fought as hard as possible. But in the end, the palace was taken over…and my parents were killed. Peter and I were outside in the meadow when the attack came, thus we were already wearing our peasant clothes. We ran inside the second we saw the soldiers, but we were too late.

Nicolai personally beheaded my father in the midst of the tumult. Brother was unsuccessful in covering my eyes so I wouldn't see. Before we could be spotted, Brother stealthily led me through the castle. We ran as fast as we could, hiding around corners, making unexpected turns when there was nowhere else to run. It felt like forever when we finally made it outside.

Even out there, we weren't safe. It was chaos everywhere we turned. Bullets shot left and right. Civilians joined the battle. Houses burned. Death was all around me.

Brother grabbed my shoulders and pushed me through the streets. We dodged bullets, rocks, and many other flying objects. At one point, Brother actually was shot in the arm. Even still, we pushed through. And we didn't stop running until we were away from the warzone – where we were safe. Miles and miles away from the place I had once called home.

We had finally found refuge in a town five hours away from our country, at the border of our neighboring country. The very same one out to kill us. Brother had lost a lot of blood and fell unconscious thirty minutes before we got into town. I had to drag him with one arm slung around my shoulder. The hospital took us in right away and he was taken into surgery.

The hospital was busy and crowded with wounded soldiers of Nicolai's army. It was terrifying to see them. I kept imagining that one of them would recognize me and kill me. But that didn't happen.

As I waited tensely in the waiting room – dirty, sooty, tremulous, exhausted, and stained in my brother's blood – I stared at the floor, trying to take in the reality of the situation. I couldn't stop…seeing my father getting decapitated. Thank God we left before I could see what Nicolai did to my mother, or I would be insane right now. No…What had happened to my father was enough to drive me mad. I buried my eyes in my hands, but I couldn't cry. If I learned my brother was dead, too, _then_ I would cry.

Cautiously, a nurse came up to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Miss?" she started. I brought my face up to look at her. She was a pretty woman with a nice smile. "Your brother is going to be fine." My heart leapt into my throat. "You may see him in a few minutes, but for now, I need some information, if that's fine."

I swallowed hard, wiping the tears that attempted to clean my cheeks, smearing soot. "That's fine," I said weakly. "What do you need?"

The woman sat down beside me and took out a clipboard and pen. She began asking me questions like what was my name, what was my brother's name, where did we come from, how did he get that wound? At first, I wasn't sure if I should answer. We were in the enemy's country. Would they turn us in? I didn't know. But I did know one thing:

We survived. The son and daughter of the fallen kingdom had survived. And Nicolai would want us back.

I gulped. If no one recognized us by now, we were obviously unknown here; no civilian saw my family when we came to visit Nicolai and his father. Which was perfect. "My name is Elaine," I answered her, closing my eyes, thinking hard. "My brother's name is…Phillip. We're wanderers, you see. And we were passing through the neighboring country, but we didn't know they were at war."

The woman tsked and shook her head. "You poor dear," she said morosely. "It's awful, this war; so unnecessary. All this over some territory." She smiled as best as she could and squeezed my shoulder. "Well, Elaine, you'll be safe here. The war is almost over anyway."

Safe was a term used loosely on my behalf.

The war ended that night, but the damages were permanent. They tore down our castle and left the remains as a forever reminder of Nicolai's success. My country was renamed, forgotten, and Nicolai's kingdom expanded. My people were left to clean up the mess left behind, which took two years to do. Brother and I went back to help them with the damage, and we ended up staying there.

Word of our return spread swiftly and silently. Those still living knew us and respected us, but acted as though it was nothing – that we were commoners. At first, Peter and I weren't sure it would work out. We were positive that we would be discovered quickly and sentenced to death or worse. But with God on our side, we survived eight whole years.

In that time, we became more and more like commoners. And I was loving it.

Over the years in Nicolai's reign, the country fell into poverty. He was a horrible monarch, unfit for the throne. Many were starving, even more were homeless. But Peter and I were coming through relatively well. We opened our own inn and welcomed anyone with considerably low prices. Brother was the chef and I took care of mostly everything else. On the weekends, Brother would work in the fields, leaving me with the inn by myself.

We hired the few that we could afford. They knew of our royalty, but Peter and I refused special treatment from anyone. If we were to keep up our cover, we couldn't have people treating us differently. I don't know how they did it, but they did it. Everyone that knew of us never breathed a word to Nicolai. If they did, he took no mind to it – which I doubt. Perhaps the people hoped that one day Peter and I would come to throne again and overthrow Nicolai. Now that was a thought worth living for.

In the eight years I spent as a peasant, not one day went by that I didn't think about Zane. I had no idea if he survived or not. He was nowhere to be seen in the raid, or at least not that I saw in my frantic state. I missed him horribly. He, too, haunted my dreams. I didn't have a good night's sleep in at least a year. My heart ached every time I thought about the incident. And the way I had to pass by the remains of the castle when I went to town tortured me.

I tried to let it go. But there was no way I would forget my life before pauperism. I would never forget Zane. I would never forgive Nicolai. And I would not die until I had killed him.

I awoke with a start when Peter knocked on the door. Heart still racing from the nightmare, I refused to get out of bed. Was it morning? Was I still dreaming? A few moments later, Peter entered the room and sat on my bed to confirm that I was awake. "Sister," he whispered, "wake up, sister." He brushed my light auburn hair behind my ears. "The boss has called in early. I need to get going, which means you need to be awake, okay?"

Eventually, my eyes fluttered open and I looked up at my brother. He had dark green eyes and dark chestnut brown hair. Peter had grown so handsome as we got older – the heartthrob of the town. Maybe we both were, but I couldn't tell. We didn't look very much like twins, but the resemblance was there.

I nodded. "Okay," I said hoarsely. I reached up and kissed the little beauty mark under his right eye, and he kissed my forehead. He was already dressed in his ruffled white shirt, brown vest, pants and boots. Brother stood and put on his hat. With a small wave, he walked out of the small room. I stayed in bed for a few moments before hearing the click of the front door close. Then I watched Peter leave until he was out of sight.

With a deep sigh, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Brother always made sure that I was awake before he left. He would hate himself if I was taken when I was sleeping. Quickly gathering some clothes, I took a hasty shower, and then rushed out to the front desk. The other cook was already awake, getting breakfast ready. A few tables were set up across from the front desk. Brother's room and my room were side-by-side behind the counter, and the kitchen was a closed off corner of the lobby with a window where you could watch the cooks work. When you walked in through the door, right across from you was the staircase leading to the bedrooms.

At the time, we had five rooms occupied – not counting our two employees rooms – leaving seven more vacant. I checked on Louis and he smiled at me. "Would you like an omelet, Miss Elaine?" I accepted and thanked him, and then went to my brother's room. In his top drawer, I got the money that belonged in the cash register. At night, it stayed in his room in case there was a thief who dare steal from us. I counted it twice and then put it back in the register.

Nothing eventful ever happened at the inn. I mostly spent my time behind the counter or sitting with the employees. Two homeless men lived here, as well, and we provided for them – Thomas and Will. They were sweet men, and we were happy to take them in. Our employees were Louis, Angela, and Icarus. Louis was a handsome man in his mid-twenties, with blond hair and gray eyes. He was the assistant chef. He came here simply in search for a job. In fact, he didn't even know we were the prince and princess when he came here; he had to be informed later on.

Icarus and Angela were father and daughter. Icarus was once a guard for us at the castle with his family – one of the only survivors. I was ecstatic to see him and Angela again. Angela was an adorable ten-year-old girl now, and she worked hard with her father as a maid. "It's an honor to be working for you once more, my princess," Icarus said the first day we met up again. He was an older man with dark hair pulled back into a small pony-tail and dark blue eyes behind glasses. Angela looked just the same – the spitting image of her late mother.

I frowned, remembering how much I missed Melody. She was beautiful and extremely kind – my nanny. Snapping me out of my trance was Thomas coming down the stairs with a booming, "Great morning to you, Elaine!"

I laughed. "Quiet down, won't you? It's six in the morning; people are still asleep." We provided Thomas and Will with clean clothes, razors, toiletry, et cetera. Though it was obvious Thomas had just rolled out of bed, he looked like a fine man when he wasn't all scraggly.

Louis fixed us breakfast, and after that, the day passed smoothly. At noon, I sat at a table, stirring coffee, listening to Will read the newspaper. Thomas had left to work earlier and that day, Will worked the night shift at the factory. Thomas was a miner, Will tailored clothes.

"Listen to this," Will said, shaking his head, "'King Nicolai in Search for Bride. Possible Uniting with Neighboring Country.'"

I stared at my reflection in my coffee. I went from content to serious in two seconds flat. In the kitchen, Louis spat. "He's only looking for more land to take over, the selfish bastard," he growled, gripping the cloth he was using to clean dishes from lunch.

Icarus leaned on one hand and grunted. "I don't know any princess who'd want to marry a brat like him," he commented dryly.

"You never know," I said solemnly, "the other countries don't know what he's really like. Even if he's ugly as hell to us, there are other people who actually like his type."

I sipped the sugary coffee as all eyes trailed on me. They should have known better than to bring up Nicolai, even if they weren't trying to change my mood. Whenever I thought about him, I automatically became somber. Because just the mention of his name brought back all the memories I had stored. All the memories I would never forget, _could_ never forget.

Louis stuttered awkwardly. "U-um, Elaine!" he said, trying to sound cheerful. "We're almost out of sandwich supplies. Would you mind going to the store and picking some up?" He grinned sheepishly.

With a sigh, I stood. "Sure; no problem." I slid my cup over to Icarus. "You can have it," I said. I took some money from the register and grabbed my handkerchief. As I walked out the door, I slipped the money in my dress pocket and tied the handkerchief around my head.

Outside, Angela was still playing with her friends. She waved to me as she jumped over the jump rope. I gave her a weak smile in return and continued walking. My black, heeled boots clicked rhythmically against the pavement as I walked. I always wore these boots and an old, brown dress that Will sewed for me long ago. It was made of a soft fabric. And though it was a bland dress, I loved it regardless.

Some of the townsfolk waved to me, or smiled, or tipped their hats, which I respectfully returned with a wave, smile, or bow. As I passed by my old, demolished castle, I frowned and occupied myself with playing with the strings on the nape of my dress. I didn't want to look at it; I hated seeing it there. For all of the public to see. Nicolai was so proud of it. It was to show us, "Look what I did to the 'all-mighty' kingdom! Do not defy me, or you will be done in the same!"

Civilians were killed often – thieves and murderers. But more often than that was those caught speaking illy of Nicolai – "conspirators," they were called. Anyone opposing his ideas or his rule would be put to death. No trial. No excuses.

Finally at the store over thirty minutes later, I picked up the essential – bread, lettuce and tomatoes, cheese, meat, the usual. I even grabbed another carton of milk. My arms and fingers would be aching by the time I got to the inn, but it was worth it.

However, on that fateful day, I was in for a surprise on my way home.

Despite my efforts not to, I slowed to a stop as I passed the remains of the castle. Prying my eyes from the floor, I stared at the rubble. Memories danced through my head – of Peter and me running through the many corridors; of Father holding me high, helping me fly; of Mother reading to me so I could sleep; of watching Peter skillfully shooting an arrow through the apple on Neli's head; of Zane and me locking pinkies in my bedroom. All of these memories flooding my heart. I actually felt my eyes beginning to tear up.

Maybe it was the clouds that were doing this to me, darkening my mood as they moved in, low and intimidating. It would rain soon. I would cry soon. …Or perhaps I would die. Freezing me in my thoughts was the resounding click behind me. _Of a gun._

My eyes widened as I turned slowly. Only to come face to face with a monster. It was a huge creature – bigger than I was, round like a cannonball, with a terrifying, frowning face. Coming out of its body were barrels of cannons, all pointed towards me. Inside the barrels, pink lights powered up, and I knew what was coming. Whatever that pink light was, was going to be the death of me.

Clutching the grocery bags to myself, I let out a scream. And just as I did, a flash of black and white bolted in front of me. It was a person! And the person's left arm grew from his shoulder, long, large, and white. With one quick swipe of his claws, the person destroyed the monster. It exploded and was no more.

Suddenly, more of the creatures appeared, tearing out of civilians' bodies! The boy who had saved me looked over his shoulder at me. His hair was snow white, his right eye (the only eye I could see) was the color of a storm. He had the features of a very handsome young man. "Go! Run!" he shouted at me. Before I could react, he jumped into the air and began to kill the other monsters.

Heart racing and almost losing sense of direction, I took off running. People screamed and ran from the monsters all around. The demons began shooting large, pink, shining bullets, puncturing buildings and even hitting some people. The less fortunate who were hit with the bullets immediately turned to dust. I kept close to the buildings lined up, hoping to not run into the frantic townspeople.

A bullet whizzed by just a few seconds behind me and crashed right into the deli. The force of the impact threw me to the ground. The milk I carried skidded across the ground, pouring out the liquids over the sidewalk. Sitting up carefully, I cradled my sore elbow, barely aware of the blood trickling from the cut on my temple.

The monster that had destroyed the deli turned its gun on me. I covered my head and screamed, not ready to die. But before it could kill me, an enormous, black object that resembled a mallet slammed into the beast, killing it. I didn't bother to wait around to see who had saved me. Scrambling to my feet, I lifted my dress above my now bruise knees and ran for my life, forgetting all about the groceries I had left behind.

The chaos seemed to stay in that part of town, central. Three blocks later, I had finally reached the inn. I grabbed Angela's hand and rushed her and her two friends inside, slamming and locking the door behind us. Like that would do us much good against those creatures. Breathless, I leaned against the wall. Icarus stood from his seat. All three men looked shocked to see me in this state.

"Elaine," Icarus said worriedly, "what happened? Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I lied. "Just – stay in here. Everyone. There are monsters attacking the village."

Louis came out of the kitchen, knife ready. "Then we have to go and fight!" he said valiantly.

"No!" I exclaimed. The three girls began to cry in fear. "Here is our safest place." I went over to each window and closed the shutters. "There was a boy in town," I explained, out of breath, "he killed the monsters like nothing. We have to trust him to protect us."

I was trembling uncontrollably, adrenaline and fear the only thing I could feel. Icarus came over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. "All right," he said almost bravely. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Hours later, when all was quiet, a man came to the door. He made sure everyone was all right and said that the monsters had gone. I was relived. My knees were bruised and ached, my elbow was scraped, but not badly, and the cut on my temple was now bandaged. Though I was sore all over, I was fine and alive. So were all my friends, so that was good. But I couldn't sit down for the life of me. Thomas and Brother hadn't come home yet and I was worried.

"Sit down, Elaine," Will said calmly, "please. I'm sure Phillip and Thomas are fine."

"I can't," I said shakily. "You didn't see what I saw in town. They could be dead for all we know!"

Just as I said that, the door opened, and Thomas and Peter rushed through. It was raining outside, but the clock read that it was evening. "Peter!" I exclaimed as we ran into each other's arms. My brother held me tight, stroking my hair.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "I heard about the attack in town. What happened?"

Tears of happiness streamed down my cheeks. "I don't know, I don't know," I babbled. "I was just walking and they attacked, and…oh, Brother!"

Peter calmed me down and after we all settled, I told everyone everything I knew. I knew I sounded insane, but the evidence was all there. I felt insane, myself, though. Today could have been my last day. And because of that, I vowed to always to tell my Brother and my friends how much I cared for them.

As it got later, Thomas and Will decided to take Angela's friends home to make sure that their parents were safe. The three girls hugged each other as tightly as they could, and then the small girls were gone. I stroked Angela's hair back. "How about some hot chocolate?" I offered softly.

As I went to the kitchen, a family of three walked in. They looked forlorn, and I immediately knew they had lost their home in the attack. Brother stood from his seat and checked them in, told them they were welcome to stay as long as they needed. As Peter led them upstairs, Louis grumbled bitterly under his breath, "How many families are we going to take in now?"

"As many as we need, Louis," I snapped. "They can stay in your room, if you'd like." It was unnecessary to bark at him, but it was the least we could do for these poor people.

A while later, the family came back down and asked for some food. Of course, we obliged, and I had Louis fix up some soup. As Louis cooked, the other guests we had staying upstairs came down simultaneously, as if they had planned it. They were out-of-towners, just in to visit. They had all packed their bags and the leader – an older man – placed their keys on the counter.

"We're leaving now, Miss Elaine," he said. "We don't quite feel safe in this town after that event today."

I nodded and said that I understood. The man paid for the three of them and then they all walked out. I sighed deeply and put the money in the register. Fourteen rooms, four occupied by Louis, Thomas, Will, and Icarus and Angela, and now only one room is occupied by this family. I started doing some math in my head, wondering if we would be able to pay rent this month.

"Order up!" Louis called from the kitchen. Brother started to move from his place against the wall to get the bowls, but I held up a halting hand and got the bowls myself. Still, Peter took one bowl of hot soup. I wouldn't allow him to take the other two. As I headed for their table, I watched the soup, careful not to spill any. However, luck wasn't on my side that way, of course, because just as I passed the door, it swung open and a man stumbled into the room, slamming right into me.

I cried out on impact and we both fell to the floor. The bowls shattered on the floor, spilling the soup all over the place. "Elaine!" Peter exclaimed as everyone else gasped. He quickly set his bowl on the family's table.

"Ah, crap, crap!" the man I bumped into shouted. "I'm sorry, I-"

He stopped talking the second our eyes met. For that moment, I even forgot about the steaming soup burning my knees. Because the person I came face to face with had long-ish scarlet hair, kept up by a bandana. And he had only one eye – a pure emerald eye. The other was covered by an eye patch.

_Zane._


	3. Three, Change

"Strike…" he whispered with a distant look in his eye.

I was frozen in time, staring at Zane. He was alive…He was _alive!_ Tears welled up in my eyes. Jeez, what a day for crying. "Zane…?" I croaked. He didn't answer. His lips moved, trying to form a sentence, but no words came to him. Just then, the boy from this afternoon came through the door, out of the freezing rain.

"Lavi!" he exclaimed. "What happened?" From the corner of my eye, I noticed his arm was normal now – he wore white gloves – and he had a pink scar running down his left eye. But I couldn't care about him. All that mattered was Zane before me, alive and kicking.

Finally feeling the sting of the soup, Zane stood on his feet quickly, staring down at me with incredulous eyes (eye?). Peter came to my side and helped me to my feet. "Watch where you're going, buddy!" he snapped at Zane. Oh, that's right, Peter never met Zane, so he couldn't recognize him. But there was no way I could forget him.

Over the years, Zane had become tall, lean, slightly muscular, and…gorgeous. He had abandoned the strange clothes I first saw him in and now wore a black and white coat, white jeans, and long black boots. I noticed he no longer wore a white scarf, but a longer, orange scarf. We were both speechless, staring at one another.

The young boy closed the door behind him and it was horribly quiet. "Zane, is it really you?" I whispered, voice cracking. But to my surprise, he shook his head.

"I, ah…" he stuttered, wiping at the broth on his jacket. "N-no, I'm…You must be mistaken. My name's Lavi."

I squinted at him, shaking my head in disbelief. "No," I insisted. "Zane, it's me – Elizabeth. Don't you remember me? I can't believe you're alive."

"I…" he trailed off. "C-could we get a room, please?" He ran his fingers through his soft, red hair.

My heart sank. How could he not remember me? He promised me…He promised me that he would always be my friend. Bookmen are supposed to have perfect memories, he said so himself! I began to tremble, staring at Zane.

My brother scowled. "Yes, sure," he said, going over to the counter. Peter asked that Icarus clean up the mess, and then told me to get changed out of my stained dress. I nodded numbly and slowly made my way back to my room. As I walked away, I heard Zane apologize to Peter about the mess, and Peter said not to worry about it.

Shutting my door behind me, I leaned against it and listened to Zane and the boy go up to their room. He was different. How could he not remember me? Suddenly aware of myself, I touched my stomach as butterflies fluttered all around. Looking back, I realized how adorable he once was. But now that we're both eighteen-year-old adults, he was drop-dead amazing. I hadn't ever looked at anyone in that way before. But Zane was an exception now.

Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I undressed myself and went to my small bathroom to shower off my burned, sticky legs. Under the water, I cried. Tears of happiness. Tears of relief. …But after a while, I began to cry because it hurt. It hurt that even after he promised – he _swore_ – I was nothing more than a long-lost shadow to him.

I didn't come out of the shower for an hour. As I dressed, Peter came into the room and shut the door behind him. "Elizabeth," he said. I didn't look at him, just tied the ribbon to my nightgown around my waist. "Elizabeth, what was that back there?"

"He bumped into me; it was an accident," I said quietly, avoiding what he truly meant.

My brother sighed and sat on the bed beside me. "You know that's not what I mean," he said softly. He paused and then began stroking my hair just like Mother used to. "Who did you think he was?"

"I don't know."

"You called him Zane," he went on. "That boy that was with him – Allen Walker – signed him in as Lavi." I shook my head, insisting that it was a mistake. "Then who did you think he was?"

I inhaled deeply, about to shout at him to leave me alone, to get out of my room. I didn't want to talk about it. But he had to know sooner or later. So I told him about the day I met Zane – or Lavi, as he was now known as. I told him about our promise to each other eight years before, and how during the attack on the castle, I didn't see him anywhere. "I don't understand," I said at the end. "How could he forget me? I told him it was me – I even used my real name."

"Which was a dangerous thing. Don't ever do that again," Peter interrupted.

"Sorry… But…Zane, he…" I was at loss for words.

Peter smiled and placed his hand on my back. "Maybe you should talk to him."

"Right now?"

"What? No! It's late. Maybe in the morning or something."

I laughed a bit at my stupidity. "Right. In the morning."

…It was already three in the morning by the time I decided to get out of bed. There was no way I was getting any sleep. I was thinking about Z…well, Lavi too much. What was going on? I _know_ it's him. There's no way you can mistake a guy with red hair and an eye patch!

Growling in frustration, I threw the covers back and hopped out of bed. My nightgown came to my ankles with short sleeves. It was light purple with a pink sash ribbon. Brother bought it for me – saved up the money for it.

I crept out of my room and made sure no one was awake. It was just me at this time of the morning. With a relieved sigh, I went to the kitchen and fixed some coffee for myself. Which reminded me that in the morning, I needed to really go to the grocery store again and get even more food! I closed my eyes and exhaled, exhausted with today.

"Can't today just be over?" I begged quietly to no one.

"Oh, good, someone's awake…"

I winced. I knew that voice. Turning my head to peer into the darkness of the lobby, I could barely make out Lavi's figure until he came toward the light of the kitchen. When he saw it was me who was awake, he slowed in his tracks. "Oh, I…" he trailed off.

I shifted, ignoring the clench in my chest. "Can I help you, sir?" I asked eventually. His one eye studied me up and down for a while until he finally asked for some tea. I nodded and began making the tea. Lavi watched warily as he made his way to a table. My eyes glided over to him, taking in everything he was. He wore his hair down now, in the same messy style as it was when he was younger. His pajamas consisted of silky, white and green striped pants and a long-sleeved green shirt – which, might I add, split a bit at the nap, feeding my imagination some of his chest.

Unaware of the blush on my cheeks, I continued making his tea. "Are you all right?" he asked, squinting at the color change of my face. Self-conscious now, I nodded and rambled on about how I was fine. Once the tea was done and warm, I went over to him and set it on the table before him. He muttered a thanks and drank. I nodded again and then turned on the light. We didn't have a chandelier like I wanted, but the light we did have was bright enough.

_What can I say to him?_ I wondered, making my way back to the kitchen to pour myself some coffee. Every time I glanced at him, I saw that he was trying hard not to look at me. Finally, I decided I should just try to start a conversation with him. Cup in hand, I went over to his table cautiously. "Do…you mind if I sit with you?" I asked timidly.

Lavi gave me a careful once-over and then nodded in approval. Remembering my boundaries, I pulled out a chair across from him. I thought a moment before speaking. "Um…I have to apologize," I said sheepishly. "You just…look like someone I met when I was younger."

He raised his eyebrows a moment. "Really? You don't say." I frowned, looking down at my coffee, and nodded downheartedly. "Well, Elizabeth-"

I raised a hand. "No, no. Please don't call me Elizabeth. I can get in a lot of trouble if anyone heard my name is Elizabeth. Call me Elaine, won't you?"

Lavi paused, studying me again with squinted eyes. "In trouble? What's wrong?" he asked.

For a second there, I was actually going to tell him, tell him everything. I almost believed he was Zane. But he said he wasn't, no matter how much I didn't believe him. So, torn inside, I looked away and said, "I wish I could tell you. All you have to know is that if word ever got out that my real name is Elizabeth, my life could be in danger. Can you promise me that you'll keep this a secret?" I brought my eyes back up to him. Since he wasn't Zane, I didn't trust him not to tell the wrong person.

To my surprise, Lavi's pinkie was soon locked around mine. He looked me dead in the eye and said, "I swear."

My heart stopped. I jumped to my feet as tears sprang to my eyes. My hands clamped over my mouth in shock. "Oh, my God," I whimpered. The redhead across from me was calm and collected. He stood from his seat and composedly came over to me. Frozen in place, I could do nothing as he wrapped his arms around me. My arms fell to my sides, heavy as deadweights. Zane pulled me closer to him, holding my head against his chest.

I felt like I was going to collapse. "Oh, my God, Zane," I sobbed, finally embracing him back, gripping his shirt. "You're back…You're alive…!"

My old friend hushed me, stroking my long hair. "I can't believe it's you, Elizabeth," he said quietly.

"I knew it was you, Zane, I knew it…!"

He suddenly pulled away a bit, but kept me in his arms. "Please, keep your voice down," he whispered. "And…don't call me Zane. My name is Lavi now, okay?"

I furrowed my brow. "What? But…why?" I tilted my head. "Why did you change your name? And why did you act like you didn't know me before?" My voice gave way to emotion at the last word.

Lavi's expression hardened. "A lot has changed, Elizabeth. I'm not the same person I was when I was a child. My name is Lavi now, and I have friends, I'm an Exorcist of the Black Order." He moved my hair behind my ear. "But most of all, I'm still a Bookman. I'm not supposed to know you – only Zane knew you, and he's gone now. We can't be friends anymore, Elizabeth."

More tears overflowed from my eyes as my heart clenched. I gripped his shirt tighter, shaking my head in disbelief. "No, Zane, no, please don't say that," I pleaded. "I want thing to be how they were. You don't know what it was like, going eight years without knowing if you were alive or not. And now that I finally have you, you tell me we can't be together?"

Lavi shifted his eyes away. "That's exactly what I'm saying. And if we are to be around one another, it'd have to be in secret."

"No, that isn't fair," I cried.

"I'm sorry. It just has to be that way." He slipped from my arms. "Now, Elaine, I'd like it if you called me Lavi from now on, okay? And also if you stayed away from me."

With that, he walked away from me. Up the stairs, without looking back even once. I reached out to him. "Wait, Zane…L-Lavi! I lo-"

He stopped me short with the wave of his hand. And then, just like that, he disappeared up the stairs.

For a stunned moment, I could do nothing. I couldn't even cry anymore. I was too cried out for one day. Gripping on to the table for support, I slowly sank into the chair. What the hell was I going to say? That I loved him? That was impossible. I knew him for a month when we were young, and I hadn't seen him in eight years since then. What? Did I think that just because we're childhood friends and he grew up to be the most attractive man in the world, he'd just fall into my arms and we'd ride off into the sunset?

I tangled my fingers in my hair. _Get real, Elizabeth,_ I thought. _That only happens in fairytales._

…

The next morning, Peter woke me up at seven. I wasn't ready to get up at all. Not enough sleep. Still, because I had duties, I got out of bed, dressed, and tried to keep myself busy by cleaning all around the inn. I even did some housekeeping. Except for Lavi's room. By the time Louis climbed out of bed an hour later, I was already outside, doing the laundry. He came around the front of the building to the small, fenced in backyard where I always hung up laundry.

"Elaine," he said, scratching his head, "you're up awfully early."

"Yeah, well, Brother was called in early again," I answered hastily. He normally didn't have to go in until 8, but as the former prince, he had privileges, no matter how much he didn't like them.

Louis studied me thoroughly – my posture, my impatience with the sheets unwilling to get clean, the bags under my eyes. "Does this have anything to do with that redhead from last night?" he asked cautiously.

I stopped what I was doing to glare viciously at him. How dare he bring him up? "No," I said sternly, and then went back to work.

Louis wasn't fooled, though. Still, he said nothing. Running his fingers through his blond hair, he said, "Suit yourself. But while you're out here, you think you're willing to go to the grocery store again to get the food for lunch?"

I groaned, tossing my head back. I had completely forgotten about that. "Yes, yes," I said hurriedly, "I'll do that right now." I wrung out the sheet as best as I could and then hung it to dry. Leaving the bucket of dirty water behind, I strode back inside to wash my hands in the kitchen. The white-haired boy, Allen, was sitting at a table, eating. I did a double-take as I noticed he was on his fifth plate of breakfast. "What's with him?" I whispered to Louis. "Is he starving or something?"

He grunted, continuing to cook for the boy. "You'd think so, huh?"

Though I wondered where he was, I didn't bother to ask Allen. Instead, I dried my hands on my dress and went to Brother's room to get some money. When I came out, Icarus was waiting for me. He told me that after what happened the day before, he didn't want me going by myself. Allen, surprisingly, perked up and offered to go with me. He said that he was able to kill the "Akuma," so he'd be better suited to protect me.

Icarus declined for me. I wasn't willing to let him take me anywhere because I knew I'd be tempted to ask him about Lavi. So, Icarus wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me outside. We walked in silence for a while. He told me that Angela was sleeping still, but he would wake her up when we came home.

I knew he was dying to ask me about what happened the day before, but Icarus knew me better. He knew I wouldn't be able to talk about it just like I wasn't able to talk about my parents. So, we continued on together like nothing, talking about rent, customers, working two jobs. We even dared to mention the Akuma, as Allen called them. I was curious to know about them – what were they? Why was it that only Allen could kill them? Or could Lavi, too? I was sure Lavi could, too. He wore a similar outfit to Allen's. He-

I stopped myself, holding my head and shutting my eyes tightly. _Don't think about his body, Elizabeth. You're better than that,_ I scolded myself. Still, I couldn't help my mind from wandering, imagining what was under those clothes. I had never seen a man before. Never even thought about it. Was that normal?

"Are you all right, Elaine?" Icarus asked as he paid for the food.

I blinked, realizing we were already ready to leave. How long had I been daydreaming? I nodded, taking a bag from him. "Um, yes, I'm fine," I lied. As we walked home, I thought about my situation more and more. Why was it that Lavi was the only one I ever thought of in that way? Was it because he was truly the only good-looking man I had seen in eight years? Yes, that must have been it, I decided. What else could it be?

Once again, as we passed by the castle remains, I couldn't help but stare. Icarus looked forward, though. "Do not look, Elaine," he said gently.

I couldn't help myself. I slowed in my tracks. "Icarus," I said without looking at him, "do you think I will ever get my revenge?"

He knew of my wish to kill Nicolai and take the throne again. But we didn't discuss it much because of the risk. Anyone could be Nicolai's secret police. Icarus spun around to face me, shocked. "Elaine, what are you talking about? Are you crazy?" he hissed.

"No," I said numbly, gently setting the paper bag at my feet. "I'm through with hiding. I want him to pay already. Eight years is long enough." My fists were clenched tight and I was trembling with rage. What had caused me to become so violent? It wasn't like me at all. Why had all the anger I kept locked away suddenly come out?

Icarus was quiet. He couldn't believe what I had just said – out loud!

"You don't say, girl?" an inhuman voice said, breaking the silence. My breath caught in my throat. Icarus and I spun around to come face-to-face with a man. If I wasn't so focused on his eyes, I would have noted more about him, but his eyes…he wasn't human. Both his eyes had been overcome with a pink, demonic glow. "Please, do tell, _dear princess,"_ he purred. I gasped, taking a step back.

Just then, he opened his palm and a familiar pink glow loaded in his hand. "Elizabeth, look out!" Icarus shouted, too much in a frantic state to call me Elaine. It all happened in a blur. One second, the Akuma-man was loading his gun. The next second, Icarus tackled me to the floor and my wrist is in immense pain. The Akuma had missed, which was good. But we wouldn't have enough time to get up and run, especially since it hurt like hell to move my wrist.

Jeez, now I had to add a sprained wrist to the things that hurt me. Icarus grabbed my waist and attempted to pull us both up to our feet when the man finally shed his skin and transformed into a large, terrifying rabbit that floated in mid-air. I screamed, Icarus gasped, and…

"_Fire Stamp!"_

It was amazing. Out of nowhere, a giant barrel of fire spiraled toward the demon. The Akuma was burned on its foot, but it quickly evaded the fire. "I'll be back for you, Princess!" it shouted, and then flew away.

The fire faded. My breath was absolutely taken away. I had almost forgotten about the pain in my wrist, until Allen Walker ran to my side. He fell to his knees as Icarus took a step back from me. "Are you all right?" Allen asked.

I winced. "M-my wrist, is all…" I admitted. He gently took my forearm into his gloved hand and frowned. "D-don't worry, Allen. It's just sprained, I think."

Allen's eyes did look worried, though. He shook his head, wrapping his arm around me and helping me to my feet. "Come on. I'll take you to the hospital, all right? Sir? Would you lead us there?"

Icarus nodded. "This way," he said boldly, forgetting all about our groceries. Crap. I seriously had to stop doing that! We would go bankrupt for sure at this rate. Allen let go of me once I had my balance and I cradled my injured arm after wiping away the tears of pain.

Allen stayed by my side even though I didn't need it. He looked over his shoulder. "Lavi! We're taking her to get her wrist checked out. Are you coming?"

My eyes widened a fraction at his name. I looked over my shoulder as well and saw him standing there with a giant black hammer – the same one as yesterday – slung over his shoulder. His eyes were locked on mine. The hammer grew smaller and smaller until it was able to fit in his hand. He slipped it into its holster on his thigh and nodded to us. "Yeah, I'll catch up later, Allen," he said.

Allen nodded and then smiled at me. He apologized for letting the Akuma get away and made sure I wasn't hurt anywhere else. "We really have to stop meeting you like this!" he cracked. Icarus chuckled and adjusted his glasses, but I couldn't laugh. As the two males on either side of me escorted me to the hospital, I looked over my shoulder once more, watching Lavi watching me.

It was him. He had saved me.


	4. Four, Nicolai

I was at least glad to see that Icarus and Allen didn't make a big deal out of it. If I were still princess, the whole kingdom would be flipping out. Luckily, I'm but a peasant now, so I was calmly taken to the run-down hospital at the end of town square where the doctor checked me out. Unluckily, my wrist was sprained pretty badly, and every muscle I even thought about moving sent stabs of pain through my arm.

The doctor wrapped my wrist as stiffly as he could. All the while, I bit down on a pillow, trying my hardest to restrain screams of pain. He told us that I'd have to take it easy with my right arm from now on and try not to move it so much. I could do that, I guess, though it'd be hard to cook and clean. However, Icarus told me not to worry about it because he would work twice as much.

Crying comically, he placed his fist on his chest and apologized profusely for causing this. Allen and I smiled weakly, unsure how to take such an apology. I waved him off, telling him that it wasn't like he killed me. It was because of Icarus that I was alive in the first place. Icarus and Lavi, that is…

Quickly turning to Allen to forget about Lavi, I said, "And you, young man." I smiled softly. "You're awfully brave for protecting me twice in a row. I owe you my life as well."

He blushed a bit and smiled, scratching the back of his head nervously. "It was nothing; I'm just doing my job," he said modestly. I chortled and kissed the top of his head. While he was surprised in place, I stood from the bed and nodded for them to follow.

"Let's just go back to the inn," I said. "I really don't feel like making another trip to the store." The two males smiled and agreed. Wincing as I had to cradle my arm, we left the hospital. The mood on the way home was much brighter, despite the clouds still left behind from last night's rain. I asked Allen about his job and these Akuma that have been attacking me.

He informed me of something that sounded like a fairytale, complete with knights in shining armor, evil dragons, a castle where the knights live, and an evil sorcerer out to destroy the world. The only thing missing was a princess or a damsel in distress! OK, I'm kidding. He actually told me that he was what was called an Exorcist, and there are many of them where he lives – at the Black Order, home of the Exorcists in England. Their sole purpose in life is to defeat the Akuma plaguing the world and their master, the dread Millennium Earl. The only way you could defeat these Akuma was by using a substance called Innocence. His left arm was Innocence and Lavi had that size-shifting hammer that was his Innocence.

It all sounded amazing to me. They were saviors; they protected the world from evil. And, honestly, I was jealous. My life in this place was deplorable. I longed for the life of adventure that Allen had.

We made it back to the inn and I was so intent on my conversation with Allen, I ignored everyone making a fuss over where I had been and what happened to me. Icarus held up his hand and took care of their questions. I sat a table and Allen sat beside me. "Do you think I could see your arm?" I asked, wide-eyed. "Is it white and clawed like I saw before? It was huge before."

Allen blinked. "My arm? W-well..." He shyly removed his glove and coat and then rolled up his sleeve. My eyes widened again when I saw his arm. It definitely wasn't like what I saw before. When I first saw him, his arm was huge, white, clawed. Now it was a deep, blood color, rough with black nails.

"Oh, wow…" I breathed. Forgetting my manners, I glided my fingers along his rough skin. It felt weird; I can't exactly place a specific texture on it. My eyes caught sight of a glowing green cross embedded in the back of his head. "What's that?" I asked, touching the sunken in skin. The cross felt like a crystal.

"That's the Innocence," Allen said, smiling nervously.

My eyes practically sparkled with interest. "Amazing!" I exclaimed. "What would it take for me to become an Exorcist?"

Allen raised his hand defensively. "Hold on, now, Elaine," he said. "You don't want to become an Exorcist. Believe me."

I blinked. "What are you talking about, Allen? Of course I do! Your life sounds so amazing!"

The snow-haired boy sighed, gently taking his arm back and rolling his sleeve back down. "It's not as 'amazing' as it sounds, Elaine," he said seriously. "Being an Exorcist means seeing a lot of death. We lose comrades, we push ourselves way past the limit. It's hard." He shifted his cloudy eyes from his arm up to me. "Please. Don't glorify our lives. We're soldiers of the holy war. That's it."

I frowned, trying to think of what to say. But just then, Lavi walked in from outside. "Hey, everybody!" he said cheerfully. "Everything okay now?" He looked to Allen and the boy nodded. Allen informed Lavi how I only had a sprained wrist and it would heal in no time. Lavi's eyes flickered to me and then went back to Allen. "Great," he said. "Hey, short-stack, can I talk to ya outside a sec?"

Allen nodded and stood, grabbing his coat. He told me he would be right back, and the two went outside to talk in private. Will took the opportunity to come over to me. He knelt in front of me. "I'm glad you're okay, my princess," he whispered.

Louis agreed from the kitchen. "Maybe you should just stay home, huh?" he cracked and then burst out laughing.

I smiled weakly. "At this point, that actually doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'm getting really tired of seeing those Akuma," I said sheepishly.

Just then, Allen and Lavi came back inside. Allen looked uncomfortable, but Lavi looked a bit too serious for my liking. I asked Allen if everything was okay and he came up to me, fidgeting. "Well, Elaine," he said, "Lavi and I have come to the conclusion that we think we should watch over you from now on."

Icarus looked at Allen incredulously. "What? What do you mean? Is Elaine in danger?" he asked panicked.

"We think so," Allen admitted reluctantly. "You see, yesterday, the Akuma targeted her first and then went on a rampage. And today, the Akuma made it obvious that they wanted _her_ because it talked to her directly. It said that it would come back for her."

I stood, concern growing. "Well, what does this mean? Why are they coming after me?" I asked.

Allen paused. "I hate to admit it, but there is a possibility that you, Elaine, are an Accommodator."

…

Me, an Accommodator. An Exorcist! I couldn't believe what Allen had said. I guessed I was going to get my wish to be an Exorcist after all.

That night, I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Once again, I couldn't sleep. I was excited and terrified at the same time. What if what Allen said was true? Would I be miserable at the Black Order? Would I be strong enough? Ah, who was I kidding? I was a weak child! Allen and Lavi killed those monsters like nothing. I wouldn't last a day against those horrendous beasts. But…maybe I could get stronger. Maybe even…maybe Lavi could teach me. He could train me.

That would be amazing…

But then I remembered: He hated me. He wanted nothing to do with me. All because he was a Bookman. I sighed and hit my head against my pillow. It would be so uncomfortable living in the same house as him. Talk about awkward.

I wanted to toss and turn and lay on my side, but with my injured arm, I couldn't move much. Shifting, I grunted and groaned to myself. Lavi had come back an hour before – at 9 o'clock. After they told me that I needed to be protected, Lavi went out to search for the Innocence fragment. Because I didn't have anything special I carried around with me, they put two and two together and concluded that I must have come in contact with the Innocence at one point. I couldn't recall anything like they described, but they said it had to be true.

I could hear them perfectly talking in the lobby. Lavi finished his dinner finally and washed his dishes for Louis. They told me that they would take turns at night watching over my room, making sure no Akuma came to take me. Lavi had the first shift.

I heard his boots softly tread on the wooden floor. He was pacing. "Hey, Lavi, can I ask you something?" Allen's muffled voice floated through my door.

"Sure, but keep your voice down," Lavi replied, "people are sleeping, remember?"

I sat up slowly, curiosity getting the best of me. When Allen lowered his voice, I could barely hear him. So, as silently as I could, I crept toward my door and pressed my ear against the soft wood.

"…about her?" Lavi was asking in reply to whatever Allen said. His voice had a hint of suspicion and bitterness.

"You do know her, don't you."

"What?" Lavi hissed. "What are you talking about? I told you she made an honest mistake."

"Dude, when I woke up last night and you weren't there, I saw the two of you hugging," Allen said sharply. He was starting to sound like a jealous girlfriend, I swear! "Why did you deny knowing her in front of everyone and then later on start hugging her in privacy? That's messed up!"

"It's…" Lavi sighed, exasperated. "It's a Bookman thing, Allen. OK?" Allen was quiet. "Look, I met her when I was ten. We were good friends back then, but if Gramps ever found out that I was letting my old life catch up to me, he'd kill me…!"

Allen scoffed after a while. "I don't think I'll ever understand your Bookman talk," he said, disappointed.

There were receding footsteps, Allen's most likely, because they halted when Lavi spoke again, "Allen," he said, "Gramps will be here tomorrow to help search for the Innocence. Let's keep this whole Elaine business to ourselves, yeah?"

Allen said Sure, and then left. It was several minutes later when I heard Lavi walking around again. It was then that I was aware of my heart pounding. When I noticed his footsteps were getting closer to my door, I made a hasty move and jumped back in bed on my stomach, burying my face in my pillow just as the door opened. It was silent as I tried to hold my breath. And then after a few more minutes, Lavi closed my door again.

And once he was gone, I whimpered into my pillow pitifully because I had landed on my injury.

…

Lavi wasn't lying when he said that his grandfather was coming. It was late in the afternoon when the door opened and in walked the elderly man, looking the same as he did eight years ago, only dressed different. He also wore a coat similar to Allen and Lavi's. I took note of the silver cross badge each of them wore over their heart.

At the time, I was sitting at the table, chatting with Allen about his friends back at the Black Order. He hadn't once mentioned Lavi. The redhead was out still, searching for the Innocence. However, when the short old man walked in, Lavi was right behind him. "Welcome," I said cheerfully.

He nodded, came over to me, and extended his hand. "I am Bookman, dear girl," he said, his voice still raspy and aged. "You must be Elaine. It is very nice to meet you."

I smiled and shook his hand with my good arm. He certainly was more pleasant than the first time I met him. Probably because I wasn't so close to Lavi. Seeing how I had to use my left arm, Allen piped up with how Bookman was an expert at acupuncture. I wasn't familiar with the term, so he hastily told me it was a soothing needle treatment. That didn't sound soothing at all…

Still, when Bookman said that the needles would calm my aching nerves, I reluctantly agreed. We led him to my room and he had me lie on my back. Brother stood at the head of the bed, watching Bookman's every move to make sure he wasn't hurting me. The sensation of it all was…weird. It hurt a bit with the constant prick of a new needle in my skin, especially since it was on my hurt wrist. But once they were in, it was more of a tingling feeling.

After the lengthy process was over, though, my wrist almost felt as good as new. As I sat up and examined my wrist, Bookman informed me to, of course, take it easy. The wrist hadn't healed, the needles simply numbed the pain. And it worked! Brother recast the wrist stiffly and we came out. I showed Louis and he asked Bookman if the needles would work on the knots in his shoulders jokingly.

"Oh, hush, Louis," Icarus said, crossing his arms, "you don't even do much. Try cleaning everything every day!"

"_Angela's_ got a harder job than you!" Will cracked as he slipped on his jacket. We all laughed at his expense. Angela came up to me and kissed my wrist.

"I hope you feel better, Elaine," she said very cutely. I ruffled her dark hair and told her I would. It was already six o'clock. Time for Will to go to work and time for Thomas to be heading home. Seeing Will head toward the door suddenly reminded me of the sheets I left outside to dry.

"Ah, crap," I said. "Hold the door, Will, I need to get the laundry."

"I'll help you!" Angela offered, skipping after me as I followed Will to the door. Just as Will reached for the doorknob, the door swung open and he jumped back right into me. I stepped back, grabbing Angela's small wrist so she wouldn't fall.

Soldiers in their red and gold uniforms filed in. My heart began to race as I realized what this meant. I slowly began to back away as they stood opposite one another, leaving behind a path for…

"Where is she?" asked a voice that drained all the color from my face. My legs were shaking so much, I thought I might fall. I soon found it hard to breathe as _he_ walked in. He stood tall and oh-so proud. His thin blond hair beginning to recede even though he was in his late twenties. His blue eyes sharp as a hawk's. His grin devilish.

_Nicolai._

Seeing the terrified expression I must have worn, Allen stood and both of the Exorcist boys became very alert. From the corner of my eye, I saw Louis stand in the kitchen doorway, clutching a knife. Will was the only one of us who remained calm, even if his fists were beginning to clench. Icarus, behind me, shooed Angela up to her room immediately. Brother stood as stiff as a board, watching Nicolai study everything about the room. Nicolai never came into anyone's home. Ever.

"My lord," said Will tightly. "What brings you to our humble inn?"

"Princess Elizabeth, of course," Nicolai replied. He sounded like a snake. His eyes were hard on Will's, until they flickered to me over Will's shoulder. They stayed on me. As if on telepathic cue, the soldiers advanced. The closest one shoved Will aside, sending him against the table. At the same time, three other guards rushed over to Peter. They grabbed either of his arms, twisted them behind him, and sent him to the ground, clicking heavy metal handcuffs around his wrists as they pressed his head against the hard wood floor.

I started forward. "Brother!" I exclaimed. But I didn't get very far before a guard came up behind me and held my arms back, holding me in place. Allen started forward to me until more guards pointed spears at them. Two other soldiers also had the tips of their spears at Louis and Icarus's throats. Pleased with his guard's handiwork, Nicolai stepped up to me. My teeth clenched against the pain of the guard gripping my injury.

Nicolai held up my head by my chin, forcing me to look at him with tearful eyes. "All these years, dear Elizabeth, I thought you had died," he purred. "But now I see you've been here, hiding, this whole time. How incredibly stupid of you to return to the place which would one day condemn you."

"It's because we aren't like you, Nicolai!" Peter shouted from the floor. "We aren't cowards who care nothing about his subjects. We stayed to care for our people." A guard silenced him with a hard punch to the head.

Nicolai made me tear my gaze from my brother when he gripped my chin. "I think it's high time I finish the business I started eight years ago. Don't you agree?" he said.

"What are you saying?" I growled.

At first, he didn't answer. He let go of me and stood back as he motioned for the guards to take my brother outside. Despite the pain, I struggled against the guard, calling out to Peter. "Oh, don't worry, dear," Nicolai said, "your brother's suffering will be over soon." My eyes widened and I looked up at him, horrified. "He will be sent to the gallows in the capital. And you, my dear princess, will get the privilege to be my bride."

"No!" Icarus cried out, trying to get around the guard.

"In two days, we will be wed," Nicolai whispered viciously in my ear. "Tomorrow, my guards will escort you to my castle where you can be fitted for your dress. For now" – he stood straight and tall and addressed a guard behind him – "you! Clear out this inn! And I want as many of you as possible to be guarding this place. I do believe I would like to stay here tonight. Alone, with you, Elizabeth."

On command, the guards grabbed my friends and pulled or dragged them outside while two other guards went up the stairs. They dragged out Angela and the family from their rooms and threw them outside. "No! Stop!" I cried out. "Allen, please! Help!"

My eyes flickered frantically from Allen to Lavi, who willingly walked out. "Don't worry, Elaine," Allen said. "We'll protect you."

I watched as Peter, Louis, Icarus, Will, and even Angela were cuffed and thrown into a carriage with barred windows. The family, Allen, Lavi, and Bookman were directed to leave. With one glance back, Allen looked at me, held my gaze, and they all walked away.

Some guards left with the carriage, some stationed themselves outside. The guard restraining me released me and I stumbled forward. I started to go for the door, but instead felt the sting of the back of Nicolai's hand. He had an inhuman look in his blue eyes. "Oh, no, Elizabeth," he said coldly. "There is no escape this time."

I was taken to my room and thrown on the floor. Before I could get up and pound on the door, I heard a chair scrape against the wood, and suddenly my knob wouldn't even turn. Frantic, I went to my window, but there were guards stationed out there, too. And another one at my bathroom window. My heart began to race. What was I going to do? What could I do? Brother was going to die. So might Icarus, Louis, and Will. Oh, God…and Angela, too.

I kicked and pounded on my door, screaming at the guard to let me out. But my cries went unheard. I heard then rummaging around all throughout the inn, tearing the place apart just in case someone hid. Everyone had already gone, I knew that. And it wasn't going to get any better. That family was homeless. My friends were taken away to prison. My brother taken away to death. And Lavi…he didn't even look at me. Why? _Why?_

I sunk to my knees at the door. Crying. Helpless.

Where was a fairy godmother when you needed one?


	5. Five, Falling in the Black

The night wore on painfully. It was in the wee hours of the night, when the sky was blackest, that my eyes began to weigh down on me. I was propped against the door, sitting on the floor. I had given up trying to escape hours ago. Now I could do nothing but sit there.

"Please," I begged, raising my voice so the guard outside my door could hear. "Why didn't you take me to the castle as well? At least then you could…lock me in a cell in the dungeons or something." I hung my head dejectedly.

"No. Too much free reign there," the guard replied stiffly. "And Nicolai wanted you to be as comfortable as possible, for whatever God forsaken reason. If I were him, I would have you killed on the spot, you filthy wench."

I winced at his words. Visions flashed through my mind of my friends being tortured. Of my brother bleeding…in pain… I shut my eyes tightly. _Lavi…Where are you?_ I thought.

I jumped at a sudden thud from outside the door. What the hell was that? I pressed my ear against the door just as the two guards outside my window also fell to the floor. Eyes wide, I stood cautiously, carefully. Could it be Lavi and Allen? I tread carefully across the room to the window. But just before I could get to my bed, a pink, cloud-like substance floated into my room from the cracks in the window.

Taking a step back, I watched as more and more of the gas filled the room until it suffocated me to the point of unconsciousness…

When I dreamed, everything was happy._ I was a princess again; I always had been. Father was alive – a jolly fat man. Mother was there, too, beautiful even in her elderly state. Confused, I looked back at my castle, still standing strong. I was in the meadow now. Peter called to me from the top of my hill. He wore regal attire as we did when we were young. _

_He extended his hand to me. "Come on, Sister!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing off the clear sky. "You've been asleep for so long! Come swim with us!"_

Swim? _I thought, tilting my head. I ran up the hill, holding up the white dress I now wore. My family was waiting for me there. Over the hill, I saw that the land was filled with water – a vast, beautiful ocean I had seen once, long ago. Father and Mother jumped in, suddenly wearing bathing suits. Brother also honed on a bathing suit. He took my hand. The further we traveled down the hill, the more my beautiful dress disappeared into a bathing suit. _

_And the nearer we got to the water…the more I noticed it wasn't ordinary water. It began to fade to a red color. Then the whole ocean was aflame. Mother and Father burned, smiling. They reached out to me as their skin melted. "Come to me, my beautiful Elizabeth!" called my father, his voice slowly becoming demonic. _"Come!"

I jolted awake. My hair swayed in the wind as I…flew? Something had a hold of me, tight around my stomach. My eyes followed up the huge, metallic, and clawed hand…up to the rabbit Akuma! I let out a scream and it looked down at me, grinning viciously.

"Good morning, Princess," it crooned. "I hope you slept well!"

"Let me go!" I demanded, struggling to break free. All that succeeded in was in applying painful pressure to my wrist. "Where are you taking me?"

"Does this not look familiar?" it asked. Reluctantly, I looked down. We were high up in the air, flying over the village to…my old castle? No, passed the castle. We were headed a bit away from the castle, in my meadow. I looked up at the Akuma and commanded him to tell me what we were doing there. He slowly glided to a stop in the middle of the field, several yards away from the castle remains. "Look below!"

Suspicious, I looked down at the grassy land. I saw nothing.

Well, not until the Akuma blasted a hole through the land. I winced at the loud explosion as dirt and mud flew everywhere. And when I looked back, what I saw terrified me. I didn't think the blow would make it all the way to the center of the Earth. I trembled in his clutches. "Is that…really the center of the Earth?" I asked, staring deep into the fire and lava far, far below.

The Akuma laughed. "No, you foolish girl!" it exclaimed. "That fire you see belongs your Innocence. The very same Innocence you failed to retrieve from that rabbit hole all those years ago."

My mind spun. "I…I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Of course you don't," he said. Suddenly, he brought me up close to his eye, which was as big as I was. "Perhaps this will jog your memory!"

Not a second later, I found myself plummeting to earth, hair slapping at my face. In the distance, my frantic eyes found pink exploding lights in the distance that could only be Allen and Lavi fighting the Akuma. I reached out as if I could grab onto Lavi in the far distance. As if he would catch me as I fell and protect me. But he was too far.

I was dead, for sure.

The surface world was soon far behind me as I dove deep into the ground. And the deeper I went, the hotter it became. I broke out in a sweat at the intense heat. Looking over my shoulder at the lava below, I saw it wasn't far now. And something in the center of the lava was glowing, shining brighter and brighter as I neared it. _This is it,_ I thought, tears brimming my eyes, _I'm going to burn. I'm going to die!_

"_Elizabeth!"_

Snapping me out of my fright, I saw Lavi…

Lavi!

He held the shaft of his black hammer, calling out, "Extend!" And with his commands, the handle grew longer and longer. He neared me quicker than I fell. He was going to save me!

But then he broke out in a sweat, his face warming up as the heat intensified. Lavi's clothes, his hair caught fire.

"No!" I screamed. He would die! This Innocence was doing this. I didn't want Lavi to die. If only I could control it. "Please don't kill him," I shrieked, _"Innocence!"_

The next moments came in flashes: Lavi's hand gripped mine. There was a bright red flash. Pain shot through my back as I made impact with something hard. I watched Lavi burn. All I could see was him – on fire, burning, dying. And then we were engulfed in the flames. There was no pain. Everything was deathly silent.

…When I came to, all was calm. The sounds of the night surrounded me. Blinking ash out of my eyes, I looked around and saw that I now lie on the grassy field I once spent hours on. And – I couldn't believe it. I was safe in Lavi's arms. We lie on our sides on the grass, his arms wrapped around me protectively. It hurt to breathe, like I had smoke in my lungs. Coughing, I studied everything about him. Was I dreaming?

He lay unconscious, his clothes burnt, his skin dirtied by soot. But he was still in one piece. He was still alive. Tears hurt, but I didn't mind the pain. I let myself cry as I brought myself closer to him. Buried my face in his neck. Listened to his steady heart-beat, his rhythmic, raspy breaths. He risked his life to save me. I closed my eyes. My Innocence, in return, saved him.

_Oh, right, _I thought, almost delirious with lethargy and utter relief. _The Innocence…_ I opened my eyes and looked over Lavi's shoulder where the Innocence lay glowing on the grass some ways away from us. As it glowed, it was almost like it was…thanking me. I smiled as best as I could because it was me who had to thank the Innocence. As I stared at the small, green fragment of Innocence, a memory surfaced itself:

I was a child, maybe eight years old. Peter and I had found a rabbit hole in the meadow. I saw something shining down there and I had to know what it was. But it was deeper than I thought, and I fell and hurt my head. I remember touching the glowing thing just before I blacked out.

That glowing "thing" must have been that Innocence. Closing my tired eyes once more, I inwardly apologized to the Innocence for abandoning it. Just before falling into a deep sleep in Lavi's arms.

…

"…look. She's coming to."

Allen. It was Allen's voice.

I shifted in the soft bed, but all movement came to a halt when every fiber of my being groaned in pain. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I instead glided my eyes to my left where Lavi lie on the hospital bed beside mine. Bookman stood close to the wall and Allen sat on my bed, looking down at me. He looked scuffed up from a fight, but otherwise just fine.

He flashed me a smile. "Hey, Elaine," he said. "How are you feeling?"

I started to answer, but my voice wouldn't let me. As I coughed violently, Allen started forward, ready to hold me up if needed.

"Hey, hey, take it easy," he said gently. "If you can't talk, don't push it, okay?"

I shook my head as best as I could. "N-no, I'm fine," I croaked. My voice was weak and hoarse, unfamiliar to me. Lolling my head to the side, I studied Lavi. The doctors had cleaned him up, but because of the fire, he didn't wear his coat and his headband was nowhere to be seen. I barely noticed that his hair had to have been cut just a bit shorter. There wasn't much of a difference, though, which was good. "Lavi…" I said softly as to not hurt my throat any more. "You saved me. Thank you."

He blushed and scratched his cheek. "Well, I couldn't exactly let you fall," he said sheepishly. He paused to cough, and then hopped off the bed and came over me, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Your hair's a little shorter and your dress was kind of burned, but I wasn't willing to find out what would happen if the Innocence decided to set everything on fire."

I smiled weakly. "I'm – so glad. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come." Despite that Bookman was right there, I couldn't help myself when I reached out and held his wrist. Understanding what I wanted, Lavi reluctantly slipped his hand out of his pocket and held my hand in his. Was I the only one who noticed the pink that painted his cheeks? "Thank you, Lavi. So much."

It was quiet a long while until Bookman spoke up. "Well, Miss Elaine," he said, coming up to us, "our work here is done. We hope that all works out for the best for you and your friends."

I blinked. The events of the night before flooded back to me in a crushing wave. With a gasp, I shot up in bed, hurting myself in the process. Lavi held me by my back to make sure I didn't fall back. "Peter! Oh, no, I have to help them." Pain shot through my body as I tried to swing my legs over the edge of the bed. "Come on, guys, please. We have to break them out of jail first. Then, I promise, when they're safe, we can go to the Black Order. Just please – we have to help them first."

Allen stood. "Th-the Black Order?" he asked, frowning.

I looked at him like he was stupid. "Yes, the Black Order. I'm an Exorcist now with this Innocence, right? Where is it anyway?" I looked around the room. "Maybe I can use it to get them out of there and we can all go to England and-"

"Elaine," Lavi said, touching my shoulder, silencing me. The look in his eye told me what he was about to say wasn't good news. "We lost the Innocence." My eyes widened in disbelief. "While we were unconscious, that Akuma took your Innocence and escaped. By the time Allen and Bookman came, it was too late." He frowned and looked away. "I'm sorry."

I didn't know what to say. What _could_ I say? I wasn't going to be an Exorcist. I wasn't going to be with Lavi. My brother and friends would die. And-

Just then, a group of guards marched into the room. Nicolai was the last in the room. His eyes were icy despite his smile. "My, my, I can't leave you alone anywhere, can't I?" he purred.

On his command, his guards pointed their spears at Lavi, Allen, and Bookman. One shoved Lavi forward, urging him forward. He hesitated. At first, I thought that he would actually sweep me off my feet and take me away. But that kind of stuff only happens in fairytales. And Lavi isn't a knight in shining armor. He turned away and walked out.

Allen genuinely looked hurt. "I'm sorry, Elaine…" he said softly. And then he too walked out of the room.

Bookman didn't even spare a sideways glance.

Once the Exorcists had left, Nicolai snatched up my wrist and pulled me out of bed, sending waves of pain throughout my body. A guard grabbed my arm. "Take her to my castle immediately," Nicolai ordered.

As the guard roughly led me away, I felt my mind going numb. I wanted to block everything out. How did it come to this? Zane really is gone. My brother and friends are going to die. And now I'll be married to the man who caused it all.

And now more than ever, I felt like I was falling down a deep, black rabbit hole.


	6. Six, And They All Lived

Looking at myself in the mirror, I hated what I saw. The dress was breathtaking. My hair and make-up were stunning. But there were so many things wrong with the girl frowning back at me. I was all cried out from the night before. And unless I wanted to go through another make-over – which I didn't – crying wasn't the best option.

Dejected, I slumped into a chair and hung my head, momentarily wincing at the bite of my burns. I wasn't fully healed, so the high heels I was forced to wear brought excruciating pain. The pains from my burns were the least of my problems, though. It was my heart that hurt the most. I held myself as I remembered Lavi's hand in mine just moments before he was torn away from me forever.

"_Promise me – that you'll always be my friend…"_

"_I swear."_

I chortled, shaking my head. A real friend wouldn't have let me go like that. I understand about Allen – I hardly know the poor boy – but Lavi…_Zane…_ I expected more from him. This couldn't possibly be the end, could it? I looked to heaven for a sign. _Please, please,_ I begged anyone who would listen, _save me. _

Just then, there was a loud knock on the door, making me jump. According to the booming voice, it was time. There was no more delaying it. Exhaling deeply, I stood shakily and then left the spacious room behind. A muscular man was waiting for me outside the door. He wore a suit, but it did not compliment him at all. He handed me a bouquet of flowers and then locked arms with me. Obviously he was posing as my father-figure today.

Or my guard.

The altar we entered was beautiful. The whole place was decorated in white. And it seemed like the whole kingdom was here. But after a second look, I realized it was mostly the upper classmen. Fancy snobs who cared nothing for the lower classmen like my friends. The peasants I recognized on a daily basis, they sat in the rear of the church. Their expressions were pained – every last one of them.

These people were my subjects, my followers, and my friends. To see their princess like this – dethroned, beaten down, worn out, _defeated_ – must have been hard on them. Surely word spread about Peter's capture. And there was no denying everyone in the kingdom now knew about this marriage. As much I myself didn't want to admit it, I knew that they must have come to the conclusion that all hope was lost. And now more than ever, I felt like a traitor.

Peter and I were their last hope. We were supposed to be the ones to take down Nicolai and take back what was rightfully ours. And now look: Peter is gone, I am unreturnable. I felt weak thinking about Peter. I wanted to collapse right there and then, right in the middle of the aisle. Damn everyone in the room, I couldn't take this! This was _my_ fate, not theirs. The blame was on _my_ shoulders. That was _my_ brother; those were _my_ friends. This was _my_ kingdom that I let down.

By the time I had to face Nicolai, I found it almost impossible to breathe. I was visibly trembling with emotion, close to tears. The man by my side took the bouquet and stood to the side. In a sudden movement, Nicolai took my hands in his. I kept my eyes lowered; I couldn't bear looking him in the eye. His fingers pinched my chin and lifted my head.

His lips were twitched in a sneer. His icy eyes pierced through mine. This was to be my fate. Life with the man who took my whole life away. Eyes hardening in anger, I made my decision. If this was how I was going to spend the rest of my life, I would take it in defiance. No matter how many times I would be beaten or threatened or raped, I would never stop fighting.

I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. Pulling my chin away from his hand, I looked to the crowd. Ignoring the cold upper class, I focused on those in the back – the ones who needed me most. With all the strength I could muster, I gave them a smirk. Hopefully that got across to them. I wanted to let them know that I hadn't given up, not on them or myself. They needed to know that their princess would always be there for them.

Putting my attention back on Nicolai, I gave him a taunting smile. The priest to my right began his speech, and at the same time Nicolai glared hatefully at me. He probably didn't know what I was thinking, but he knew that smirk meant something. And that something wouldn't be good on his part.

The ceremony dragged on for what seemed like hours. Did Nicolai mean for this to happen or do weddings usual take this long? I didn't know, but when the time came for the rings, Nicolai slipped the diamond on my finger gently. I, on the other hand, shoved it on his. He didn't even wince, but gave me a look that meant business.

"Do you, Princess Elizabeth," the priest said, "take Prince Nicolai as your lawfully wedded husband? To love and care for for as long as you both shall live?"

I hesitated, throat going tight. This was it; the final voyage. Would someone interrupt dramatically? Would Lavi run in here and take me away forever? My eyes shifted to the doors which seemed so far away. No sign of anyone coming to my rescue anymore. I was on my own. Licking my lips first, I braced myself, and said, "I do."

Nicolai grinned like a snake. "And do you, Prince Nicolai," said the priest, "take Princess Elizabeth to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love and care for for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," he said surely.

I dreaded the moment at hand, but there was no avoiding it. The most I could do was try to shorten the kiss as much as I could. He leaned in first. I stood as still as a rock.

It was only in that horrid second when his lips brushed against mine, that the doors burst open. Before I knew it, it had happened: a revolution. The peasants not already present all burst through those doors, shouting and exclaiming in excitement. Nicolai stumbled back in surprise; I was frozen in my place in shock.

They all rushed in wielding pitchforks and sickles and weapons of all sorts. Those of the back rows joined in the chaos. They let live the innocent fools of the upper class, but guards and followers of Nicolai fell to their blades of fury. My eyes flickered throughout all the tumult, trying to keep up with everything. It was really happening. This wasn't a dream.

With tears springing to my eyes and a grin quickly spreading across my face, I shouted out in rejoice. The numbers of my people overtook Nicolai's army. This battle was ours. It would be over very quickly.

"Unhand me, you rats!"

Turning swiftly, my heart leapt at the sight of Icarus and Louis taking hold of Nicolai and forcing him to the ground. Not far from them, Will and Thomas were handling the guards as best as they could.

"Icarus!" I exclaimed, relief and joy washing over me. He looked up and broke a smile. With a wink, he and Louis forced Nicolai to the floor and bound him. Louis put a knife to Nicolai's throat and threatened the guard who had a hold on Thomas. Seeing the king in danger, most of the guards backed off. Those who tried to push forward to help soon were killed. Soon, the whole altar was deathly silent.

"Well, well," a familiar voice shouted out in the quiet, "seems like the odds are in our favor today, Nicolai."

I spun on my heel, shouting out his name. Peter grinned and allowed me to run into his arms. He was alive! My brother was alive! It was he who led the revolution. It was he who saved us all. I didn't know how he did it, but I didn't care.

He gently pulled away from me and then confidently made his way to Nicolai. The bound prince struggled to get at Peter, but to no avail. Louis and Icarus had him held tight. "Well, this is unfortunate, isn't it, Nicolai?" Brother purred. "Looks like the tables are turned now."

I was shocked when Nicolai spit on Peter's cheek. "You all will rot in the pits of hell for this," he growled venomously. "I am the king now. I will have every last one of you _killed_ for this!"

"You aren't the king of anything," I snapped. As Peter wiped his cheek clean, I strode over to the two of them. Yanking off the blasted ring off my finger, I threw the diamond at his head. "You will never be my husband. And you will never let our people suffer ever again."

Will stepped over to us and snatched the crown off of Nicolai's head. Peter stood and faced the man. "If anyone is deserving of the crown," Will said, "it is the true king – Peter." Then Will gently placed the crown atop Peter's full head of brunette hair, and the altar erupted in cheers and hollers.

Soon after that, Peter and I took over Nicolai's castle. The guards who wished to be set free were released, and those who wished to protect us now remained our guardians. Nicolai was imprisoned for the time being while Peter and I got everything together once more. A week later, Peter was officially crowned king in front of the whole kingdom, and everyone rejoiced. I remained princess and was content with my title.

As the entire kingdom celebrated that night, I stayed in my new bedroom. I watched the party from my window and I couldn't help but smile at it all. It was almost like a dream. We had taken our kingdom back almost too easily. It was going to be incredibly difficult to get everything back in order as my father once had it, but I was positive we could manage it. We would tie all ends with the other countries, get all the support we could, and in no time, our people would be happy once again.

I should have been completely happy with all this. I almost was, too. But there was something missing. And it was pretty big. After all I had gone through with the Exorcists, I couldn't help but feel like I was missing out on the one thing that I needed. I closed my eyes and rested by head against the windowpane. I needed Lavi. He was the only thing missing from my world. Now that he was gone, now that my life had come back together, now that everything was perfect once again, I realized that I loved him. And I would never find anyone like him again.

It was almost one in the morning when there was a knock on my door. I couldn't sleep, so I stayed in the window, watching the party rage far below. With my approval, Icarus and Angela walked in. Angela hopped up in my lap and I held her tight. "Elizabeth," Icarus said softly, "it's late. In two days is Nicolai's sentencing. You have a long day of preparation tomorrow. Why don't you try to sleep, OK?"

Ah, that was right. I knew my duty; I remembered my dream perfectly well. Nodding, I agreed to try to sleep. Kissed Angela good night. Hugged Icarus. And lay down in my bed.

I slept fitfully – my dreams haunted once again by the bloodshed I saw in the altar. By the memory of my father's beheading. By the pain of Lavi's retreating form. But I woke the next morning ready to go. That day, I was fitted and given a beautiful black gown, new boots. I practiced my swordplay and made sure my arm was strong enough. I got a checkup for my burns and the pain had receded drastically. And by the next day, I was all ready to go.

At sunset, Peter and I made our way to the guillotine. There, my people were waiting for us. And there as well, Nicolai waited for me. He was on his knees, head bowed in the guillotine's hold. But it wasn't the blade of the guillotine which would take his life.

I stepped up onto the dreaded platform where so many of my people were killed, and I couldn't stop shaking with rage. Icarus stood ready for me. When I faced him, he bowed respectfully and handed me a sword. I took the blade and studied it in the fading sun. After a deep breath, I went to the front of the platform. Nicolai shifted his eyes up to me. Said nothing, only smirked.

I swallowed hard. "Nicolai," I said, my voice ringing throughout the crowd, "you deserve no last words. What you have done to my kingdom for the last eight years is unforgivable. Your reign of terror will last no longer." I took a look throughout the crowd. They were all anxious and anticipating. Torches lit our way outside. I did a double take at the glimpse of red in the crowd, but shook it off as my imagination.

So, raising the sword high above my head, I finally got my revenge. The sweet revenge I had been waiting for all my life. The sword came down on his neck, and with one swift movement, off went his head. Blood spattered around, stained my dress. But I took no heed. As his head fell into the basket at my feet, it was like my whole life had flashed before my eyes.

I witnessed my father's head roll. A blade went through my mother's chest. Lavi walked away from me. My brother held me in his arms.

Reality rushed back to me like a shove of wind. Keeping a firm grip on the hilt of the sword, I leaned down and lifted the heavy head by his hair. The roar of the crowd was overwhelming. Nicolai's head in my hand was a horrible feeling that fought with righteousness. My father had finally been avenged.

When I dropped his head back in the basket, that hand was trembling uncontrollably. As the crowd roared in excitement, I couldn't take my eyes off of Nicolai. I had been waiting what felt like my whole life for this moment. Why didn't it feel amazing? I thought I would feel triumphant and powerful, but…honestly, I felt sick.

Breaking me from my trance, Peter came up behind me and embraced me in front of the whole crowd. I dropped the sword immediately and held him as tightly as I could. "You've done it, Elizabeth," he whispered in my ear, stroking my hair just like Mother. "He's finally gone forever."

…

After Nicolai's death, things passed smoothly. Any complaints we had were handled. Taxes weren't a problem. Work time was fairer. Prosperity had draped over the land like a blanket. It seemed impossible to me: There had to be something wrong with our kingdom, but I just couldn't find anything to complain about.

I continued to go out in public like before. Everyone loved Peter and I. They mostly complimented me on what a wonderful king he was. I wanted it to stay that way.

However, just a couple months before New Year's, visitors from different countries began coming to our kingdom – maidens and princesses. All of them wanted Peter. The princesses did their best to seduce Peter so they may be the queen of the land, but none made more of an impression on him than the beautiful Annabel. She was a shy princess, only sixteen years old. Her father, the king, was forcing her to come and meet Peter in hopes that he would take her hand in marriage.

And, slowly but surely, it became obvious that he was falling for her. He joked to me once that he would marry Annabel when I finally got off my high horse and choose a husband of my own. But, I refused. The occasional prince came to our kingdom to ask for my hand in marriage, but I rejected all of them. I never told Peter, but there was no way I could be with anyone other than Lavi.

After a whole year, he never came, though. There was no sign at all that he was even still alive. It hurt, but I was willing to wait for him till the end of the Earth.

One day, in April, I was called to the throne room with Peter at my side. When I asked what this was about, he said we had a visitor. I expected another princess to come, but this time, the visitor was a prince. Trying to be polite, I sat straight in my chair and attempted my best smile. He walked in subtly with his guards and father behind him. When our eyes met, he bowed respectively. He was quite handsome, actually.

"Dear princess Elizabeth," he said, head lowered, "my name is Lance. I have come from a land across the sea in hopes that you will give me the chance…to be my bride, if you will."

I exchanged a look with Peter. We both knew how this was going to go down. So, just like always, I said, "I would be honored if you stayed with us, dear Lance," and offered my hand to him. The young prince came forth and kissed my hand with soft lips. When he lifted his head, I saw that he was only a few years older than me. Still, with his fair hair and dark eyes, he was charming enough.

Peter stood and clapped his hands together. "Well, Sir Lance, welcome to our castle!" he said. "Let me show you around, yes?" My brother wrapped his arm around Lance's shoulder and led him away with Lance's father and their guards following after. "Come on, Elizabeth!"

Sighing deeply, I shook my head to myself and stood. I hated doing this. Allowing the princes and princesses to stay here with us felt wrong, like we were leading them on. Maybe not for Peter, but for me, it did, because I knew I wouldn't marry these men. Still, I had to act like I was interested, so I stood from my throne, patted my dress down and started after them.

"Wait!"

I froze in my tracks at the sound of that voice. It couldn't possibly be…

Turning slowly – could it be? – I saw standing at the door the redheaded man of my dreams. _Lavi._ He looked so different since I last saw him. His uniform was similar, but now it was black and red. His headband was black now and held up his hair in a different style. And his scarf was no longer orange but ruby red. But of course, he looked even more amazing than when I last saw him.

"Lavi…" I said weakly. He broke a smile and hurried over to me. Peter stopped and turned, watching us incredulously.

"Who is this?" Lance demanded as Lavi took my hands in his.

"I…I thought you forgot about me," I said, staring deep into his emerald eye.

"Hey…" he said, his smile softening. His pinky was soon locked around mine and my heart fluttered in my chest. "I swore I'd never forget you. And after all, I am a Bookman. And a Bookman never forgets."

At first, I didn't know how to react. The tears came on their own. I wanted to embrace him and never let go, but he just admitted to still being a Bookman. So…

He answered my doubt for me by pulling me into a strong hug. I would never forget his sweet smell, the feel of his muscles, his slim figure pressed against mine. Without pulling away, he grinned and looked to Peter.

"King Peter," he said bravely, "if you don't mind, I think I'd like to kidnap your sister." Then he turned to me and cupped my face in his hands. "I just don't think I can go on any longer without her by my side…" he whispered.

Slowly, Peter began to laugh. Lance was utterly flabbergasted. There was nothing he could say. He had come all this way for nothing.

"Do you mean it, Lavi?" I cried.

He stroked my hair back and behind my ear. "Of course," he said, pressing his forehead against mine. "I don't care what Bookman says; we can keep it a secret if we have to, but I just want you with me."

Peter ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, what can I say?" he said. "If Elizabeth wants to, there isn't much I can do to stop her." He gave me a soft smile and nodded. "Go on, Sis. You'll be happier with him, won't you?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, jumping into Lavi's arms. He held me off my feet and kissed me long and passionately.

After that, Lavi took me back to the Black Order with him in England. It was a beautiful cathedral that I couldn't have thought up in my dreams. Their chief – Komui Lee – recognized me as the girl from before who had lost her Innocence, and welcomed me into their organization as what was known as a Finder.

I was given a tan uniform, a telephone backpack, and a device called a talisman. I was assigned a nice, cozy room with all the other Finders and given a grand tour of the place. Before I could go on missions, I had to study everything about Akuma, the Black Order, Innocence, Noah, and so on. It was a lot to take in, but it was worth it for Lavi.

Allen was the only one who knew about our secret love affair, but he swore to keep it a promise for the sake of his best friend's happiness. Not all of my missions were with Lavi, but the ones that were, I cherished. I secretly stayed in touched with my brother and my friends back home when I could. And there were so many wonderful people at the Black Order, making friends here was incredibly easy.

I loved my life at the Black Order – the fun, the thrill, the adventure, it was everything I could ever ask for. I loved my life with Lavi, most of all, though. We haven't had sex yet and we don't plan to be married – that would most likely be impossible – but I was content living with him in private, loving him like I had no other.

And, so, like all sappy princess stories, we all lived "happily ever after."

**Author's Note: Well! I had fun writing this. I wanna thank everyone for reading, reviewing, favorite-ing, all of it. And also for staying with the story despite how Mary Sue I unintentionally made Elizabeth. I was honestly going to stop it after the third chapter. So, I hope you all enjoyed reading this and thank you for your support! **

– **Eri**


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